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F1 2025 Mid-Season Analysis | McLaren’s Dominance, Ferrari Struggles & the Midfield Battle
Sep 3, 2025
McLaren dominate F1 2025, with Piastri and Norris locked in a thrilling title battle. Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull face struggles, while Williams, Aston Martin, and Sauber shake up the midfield. Join me for a quick mid-season breakdown of the key stories shaping this year’s Formula 1 season.
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0:00
Hello and welcome to the social talks.
0:02
I'm Nick Forester and today I'll be
0:04
discussing my mid-season thoughts on the
0:06
ongoing F1 season.
0:15
An interesting season thus far sees
0:17
McLaren with a dominant hold on both
0:18
championships whilst there's still all
0:20
to play for in the midfield. When it
0:22
comes to McLaren, there's really not all
0:24
that much to say. Currently sat in first
0:26
in the constructors and leading with a
0:28
staggering 559 points, more than both
0:32
second and third combined. The real
0:34
intrigue comes from the drivers
0:35
championship. Oscar Pastri leads the
0:38
drivers championship ahead of teammate
0:39
Lando Norris by just nine points. And
0:42
going into the second half of the
0:43
season, it's clear that this will be a
0:45
two- horsese race. A race in which I
0:47
believe ultimately Pastri will prevail,
0:50
mainly due to his composure. In the
0:52
moments where the lights shine
0:53
brightest, Oscar always seems to be
0:54
unfased, whilst Landos occasionally does
0:57
seem to falter, such as in Montreal and
0:59
Spa this year, as well as other races
1:02
such as Russia 2021, where he could have
1:03
taken his maiden win. Nevertheless, it
1:06
will likely be a battle that goes right
1:07
down to the wire. So, don't be surprised
1:09
if come Abu Dhabi, there's still all to
1:11
play for. On the opposite side of the
1:13
spectrum, Alpine currently sit dead last
1:15
within the constructor standings,
1:17
collecting 20 points so far this season,
1:19
all of which have been from Frenchman
1:21
Pierre Gazzley. Outside a couple of
1:23
fantastic drives from Gazzley in
1:25
Bahrain, Spain, and Silverstone, has
1:27
been a torid season for the French
1:29
outfit. Alpine continue to look a mess,
1:31
as they have done for years. Not only is
1:33
the car mediocre at best at most tracks,
1:36
but there is also a clear issue with the
1:38
second driver as since replacing Jack
1:40
Dan, Colipinto has looked very poor and
1:42
a shell of the former driver who showed
1:44
sparks at Williams last season. This
1:46
sees his seat already under Jeopardy and
1:49
may see him out of a seat by the end of
1:52
the season if not beforehand if his
1:54
performances do not improve come the
1:56
second half of the season. With the
1:58
upgrade in Barcelona being the only
1:59
major one of the season and focus
2:01
already being turned towards next year
2:03
in 2026 with the new regulations on the
2:06
horizons where they will become a
2:07
customer team for the first time since
2:09
their return in 2015. It seems as though
2:12
Alpine's wos this season will continue.
2:15
Just a fun fact, but the 20 points
2:17
Alpine have collected so far this season
2:19
is already the highest total amount that
2:21
a team bottom of the constructors has
2:23
ever collected in F1 history, which has
2:26
to be a good sign for competitiveness,
2:28
not only within the midfield, but at the
2:30
back of the field. Next on to Aston
2:31
Martin, who currently sit in sixth place
2:33
following a season high P5 and P7 finish
2:36
in Hungary. A mixed first half of the
2:38
season has seen this team either
2:39
competing for points or right at the
2:41
back of the field depending on the
2:42
weekend. If one thing is evident about
2:44
this package, it's that it logs the
2:46
street circuit with Stroll picking up
2:48
good points in Australia, Alonzo
2:50
qualifying in P6 despite getting a DNF
2:52
in Monaco, and this car being very
2:55
competitive and finally challenging some
2:57
of F1's elite in the Hungaro ring. With
2:59
Lon Stroll continuing to look
3:01
disinterested and Alonzo being in F1
3:03
longer than some of these rookies have
3:05
been alive, there are some driver
3:06
concerns looking towards the future. But
3:08
Aston Martin do have the one crucial
3:11
asset that is Adrien Nui who may yet
3:14
still produce another miracle come these
3:16
new regulations. Results this year have
3:18
also seen a gradual uptick hinting
3:20
towards a potential fight for fifth in
3:22
the constructors within the second half
3:24
of the season. The team they will have
3:25
to beat to that is Williams who outside
3:27
of McLaren have been my team of the
3:29
season so far. Since James Bows's
3:31
arrival as first team principal from
3:33
Mercedes, this team has been on a steady
3:35
upward trajectory and this season has
3:37
been no different with them currently
3:39
sitting best of the rest. Alex Albornne
3:41
continues to thrive under this regime,
3:43
picking up consistent points and showing
3:45
what both he and his car is truly
3:47
capable of. The same can't be said for
3:49
Carlos SC, however, who's largely
3:51
struggled to dazzle in blue and scored
3:53
just 23% of Williams' points so far this
3:56
season. It's evident that although this
3:58
Williams car is rather quick, that it
4:00
does have its limitations and requires a
4:02
certain driving style that the Spaniard
4:04
has yet to fully adjust to. His proven
4:06
track record against former teammates
4:08
and highly touted F1 drivers in Lando
4:10
Norris, Max Vstappen, and Charles Lllair
4:13
makes me think that he will eventually
4:15
adjust and once he does will make
4:18
Williams even more of a threat looking
4:19
forward. Red Bull have continued their
4:21
loop of having Max Vstafen getting the
4:23
very most out of the car whilst their
4:25
second driver in this case Yuki Cenoda
4:28
wildly underperforming by comparison.
4:30
The only difference being that this
4:32
season the performance of the car has
4:33
fallen off dramatically at points even
4:36
being slower than their sister team in
4:38
the Racing Bulls. At this point, there
4:40
can be no blame on the second drivers
4:42
who continue to flounder, but instead
4:44
the development of the car, which is
4:45
clearly suited to one man and one man
4:47
only, that being Max Vstappen. And even
4:50
if he continues to bring the very most
4:52
out of that car, it's extremely
4:54
problematic in a constructor's
4:56
championship where you need two drivers
4:58
to win, especially in a more competitive
5:00
field. This issue has been more clear
5:02
this season than ever before with Liam
5:03
Lawson being ousted out of Red Bull
5:05
after just three races and Yuki Cenoda
5:08
only scoring six points as a Red Bull
5:10
driver so far this season. With the
5:12
Japanese drivers exit already confirmed
5:14
at the end of the season and long-term
5:16
presences of team principal Christian
5:18
her and Adrien Nui no longer being
5:21
there, Red Bull are definitely in the
5:23
worst spot that they've been in
5:24
throughout these regulations. And with
5:26
the new ones looming, it is definitely a
5:28
worrying time to be a Red Bull fan.
5:30
Sister Team Racing Bulls have quietly
5:32
been having a decent year on the whole.
5:34
Eighth and the Constructors does not
5:35
reflect this team nor its package. And
5:38
the only reason they sit there is
5:39
because other teams such as Aston Martin
5:41
and Saaba have had triumphant results at
5:44
some point within the season. Isaac
5:46
Hajar has thus far been my rookie of the
5:48
season, continuously being in or within
5:50
the points and slightly edging out
5:52
teammate Liam Lawson despite having a
5:54
fraction of the experience. As for
5:56
Lawson, a treachered spell at Red Bull
5:58
alongside some poor initial performances
6:00
at Racing Balls made him at one point
6:02
seem dead in the water in regards to a
6:04
future in F1. However, recently, the New
6:06
Zealander has been able to gain
6:07
momentum, scoring points in three out of
6:09
the last four races. With there now
6:11
being a seat up for grabs at Red Bull
6:13
and Helmet Marco not being big on second
6:15
chances, as seen with Pierre Gazzley, it
6:17
seems as though that Hajar is destined
6:19
for the most cursed seat in F1 come
6:22
2026. Onto H, who have probably
6:24
subverted people's expectations the
6:26
least this season. Okon is probably the
6:28
driver on the grid I could speak the
6:29
least about. He's really just done his
6:31
job. Whether it be score points where he
6:33
can and edge out his rookie teammate and
6:35
Oliver Bearman in head-to-head. As for
6:37
the rookie, he's probably been one of
6:39
the most unfortunate drivers on the grid
6:40
this season with his points tally really
6:42
not being reflective of his overall
6:45
performances this year. Bman, prior to
6:46
the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he was
6:48
forced to retire because of an issue,
6:50
had been on a really unlucky streak of
6:52
finishing 11th four consecutive Grand
6:55
Pris row, which tied for a record for
6:58
every position that was not first place.
7:00
His season can best be described as
7:02
having major flashes, but not being able
7:04
to put it all together just yet.
7:06
However, the makings of an excellent
7:07
driver are certainly there. Now, as for
7:09
Mercedes, highly touted youngster Kimmy
7:11
Anteneelli came out the blocks
7:12
absolutely firing, showing impressive
7:14
consistency for a rookie. This all built
7:16
up to a maiden podium in Canada, which
7:19
is probably the high. Since then, the
7:20
Italian has only managed to score one
7:22
point, which in a Mercedes is simply not
7:24
good enough. Like signs, this seems to
7:26
be a driving style issue, as Antonyelli
7:28
likes to be very aggressive on the
7:29
brakes and take a lot of momentum into
7:31
the corner, which opposes both Russell
7:34
and the Mercedes. His performances will
7:36
need to pick up and return to what we
7:37
saw at the start of the season should
7:39
Mercedes want to pit Ferrari to second
7:41
in the constructors. George Russell has
7:43
been nothing short of superb so far this
7:45
season. A regular fixture within the top
7:47
five and sometimes even higher with most
7:49
notably a win in Canada, Russell has
7:51
continued to show why with the right
7:53
machinery, he is definitely going to be
7:55
a future world champion. Still without
7:57
contract for next season, mainly due to
7:59
the looming possibility of having Max
8:00
Vappen available and Russell rightfully
8:02
wanting a long-term contract, there is a
8:05
possibility that he leaves the Silver
8:06
Arrows next season. And should that
8:08
happen, there's no doubt that there will
8:10
be many teams lining up for his
8:11
services. Sala, despite not having the
8:14
best package, have really impressed me
8:15
with their other intangibles so far this
8:17
season. Bortalto has been a pleasant
8:19
surprise so far this season as going
8:21
into the season I saw him as nothing
8:23
more than a placeholder going into the
8:25
new regulations, but the Brazilian has
8:27
definitely proven me wrong. His
8:28
qualifying has been particularly
8:30
impressive, reaching Q3 three separate
8:32
times despite his senior teammate in
8:34
Hulenberg not being able to do so once.
8:37
Speaking of his older compatriate,
8:38
Hulenberg's best performances have
8:40
instead been saved for Sunday. Despite
8:42
at times being very disappointing in
8:43
qualifying, Hulenberg has managed to use
8:45
experience alongside very good strategy
8:48
to gain really good results in
8:50
Australia, Spain, and famously
8:52
Silverstone, where he finally achieved
8:54
his maiden podium after 239
8:57
race starts. The longest wait a driver
9:00
has ever had for such an achievement.
9:01
With the backing of Audi and new
9:03
regulations coming alongside having
9:05
probably what is in my opinion the most
9:07
underrated driver lineup in all of F1,
9:10
Saaba/ Audi will definitely be one team
9:13
to watch come 2026. Finally onto F1's
9:16
biggest team, Laseria Ferrari, who
9:18
despite sitting in second in the
9:20
constructors have been thoroughly
9:22
underwhelming so far this season. And
9:23
context is essential in order to explain
9:26
this. This is because they clearly have
9:28
the best driver lineup in all of F1 and
9:30
their main rivals in Mercedes and Red
9:32
Bull have either a rookie or a driver
9:34
struggling immensely. With all these
9:36
factors considered, Ferrari should be
9:38
comfortably in second place, but they
9:40
aren't. So, why is that? Well, firstly,
9:42
it seems that this Ferrari car is a real
9:44
hassle to drive. And more importantly,
9:46
it's really difficult to get this car
9:48
under the correct operation window to
9:50
maximize efficiency. Small upgrades all
9:53
around the car has helped increase this
9:55
window which has helped particularly
9:56
llur who has managed to get four podiums
9:59
in the last seven races. Hamilton
10:01
instead has had a very up and down rocky
10:03
season so far. There have been some
10:04
bright spots for the seventime world
10:06
champion namely a sprint win in China.
10:09
However, there have been too many
10:10
weekends with inconsistent performances.
10:13
Despite this, he has still been able to
10:14
recoup a decent amount of points, and I
10:16
suspect he will be a lot better come the
10:18
second half of the season. With any
10:19
titles this year already being out of
10:21
reach, Ferrari look to 2026, where
10:23
they're internally very confident.
10:25
Should they be competitive come the new
10:27
regulations, Ferrari must improve their
10:29
strategy decisions. There still
10:31
continues to be baffling strategy
10:32
choices made at Ferrari, and next
10:34
season, it may very well be the
10:36
difference between glory and misery. And
10:39
there you have it, all my thoughts and
10:41
opinions on both drivers and teams so
10:43
far in this F1 season. Next up, we've
10:46
got the start of the second half of the
10:47
season in the Dutch Grand Prix at
10:49
Xanvort.
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